Jan. 30, 2014 9:47 a.m. | A 52-year-old Mequon man was arrested for providing a place for underage drinking and eight teenagers were arrested for underage drinking in the 10400 block of North Riverlake Drive at 11:46 p.m. Jan. 18.

According to the Mequon police report:

Police were following two speeding cars, and one drove away and the other pulled into the driveway in the 10400 block of North Riverlake Drive. A male ran from that car into the home and slammed the door.

After police knocked on the door, the Mequon man came outside and was "evasive" about any drinking and would not allow police to enter. A warrant was issued and police entered the home and found numerous bottles of alcohol scattered about along with a water bong, a scale with residue, rolling papers and cigarillos with the contents scooped out. An investigation is ongoing along with possible additional charges.

Jan. 30, 2014 9:11 a.m. | Whitefish Bay High School's band is due Thursday morning to arrive back in Milwaukee after being stranded in Georgia, caught in the snowstorm that took Southern states by surprise.

Thirty-two students from all grade levels in the band left last Friday on a trip to Florida to perform at Downtown Disney. They were on the way back when the storm hit Tuesday, the band director Nicholas Castonguay said, prompting the band to seek out a hotel a few hundred miles south of Atlanta.

They did the right thing. A few inches of snow threw Atlanta and other Southern cities into chaos Tuesday, leaving commuters stranded on the roads and students stuck in buses or at their schools overnight.

Castonguay said they had no problem traveling north through Atlanta on Wednesday, though it was a different story for travelers driving south.

"In the southbound lanes, there were miles and miles of traffic. It was pretty incredible, and there were tons of cars off the side of the road, just sitting there," he said.

Jan. 29, 2014 12:14 p.m. | Glendale — Nicolet students posted a promising set of advanced placement test scores in 2013, but the differences between Nicolet and other schools make it tough to rank their performance.

According to a joint presentation from teaching a learning director Brenda Turner and high school principal Greg Kabara, participation in AP classes and tests — Nicolet requires AP class students to take the accompanying test — have steadily increased over the years, with 300 students taking a total of 720 tests in 2013.

That amounts to a nearly 28 percent participation rate among Nicolet students, with about 75 percent of them earning a score of three or better on the tests, which are graded on a one to five scale where a three is considered passing.

"We do a really good job of getting kids to stretch themselves and take AP courses," Turner said. "...Our participation rate is very high."

Placed in a group of comparable high-performing districts like Cedarburg, Mequon-Thiensville, Elmbrook and Whitefish Bay, Nicolet appears to be middling or lower-end when it comes to overall participation rate and the percentage of students hitting the benchmark score of a three.

Jan. 29, 2014 10:35 a.m. | Brown Deer — A Feb. 18 primary will eliminate hopefuls and leave four candidates in the running for two seats on the Brown Deer Village Board.

For the primary, all six wards will vote at Village Hall, 4800 W. Green Brook Drive. Incumbent Trustee Terrry Boschert defends his seat against newcomers Jamie Awe, Otto Bunge, Richmond Izard II, Bruce Thomas and Sherry Yusuf. The top four vote-getters will move on to the April 1 spring election.

Trustee Andrea Weddle-Henning, whose seat is up for grabs, is not seeking re-election.

NOW caught up with the six candidates and picked their brains about issues the Village Board is grappling with now and could be in the near term: their thoughts on developments at the vacant gas station at 51st Street and Brown Deer Road, the strip mall on the village's west end of Brown Deer Road, and the controversial Beaver Creek development near 60th Street and Brown Deer Road; which services, if any, the village should consider consolidating with area municipalities; and how the village should continue to deal with levy limits imposed by the state.

Jamie Awe

Jan. 29, 2014 10:06 a.m. | Shorewood — The village's biggest tax incremental financing district is projected to pay back taxpayers by 2022 and could end up turning a profit, according to projections presented Tuesday at the Village Board and Community Development Authority's annual meeting.

The TIF district, created in 1995, contains nearly the entire commercial corridors of Oakland Avenue and Capitol Drive and has used tax dollars to spur developments like the Metro Condo Building, Cornerstone Apartments, North Shore Bistro, Wine Thief, Ravenna Apartments, and a number of facade improvements.

Michael Harrigan of Ehlers, the village's financial adviser, said taxpayers have put up about $17.5 million over the years to help fund those projects. At the high point of 2007, that investment had created about $53 million of new property value in the district, but after the 2008 crash and following "Great Recession," the new value has fallen to about $36 million.

As Harrigan and Village President Guy Johnson pointed out, the pre-recession numbers were fueled by the real estate bubble at an annual growth rate of between 8 and 10 percent. In the current market, Harrigan is projecting no growth in 2014 and slowly increasing growth up to 2 percent annually beginning in 2018.

With those numbers, Harrigan projects that by 2022 — the year the district is set to close and the added property taxes will finally go to Shorewood, the school district, and other taxing bodies — the district will either be slightly over or under the break-even point if no new projects are funded.

Jan. 28, 2014 9:34 a.m. | Brown Deer — The School Board meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday evening has been rescheduled for Wednesday due to cold weather closures, according to the district main office.

Jan. 28, 2014 9:28 a.m. | Mequon — Police are looking for a man suspected of stealing a car from a Sendik's employee on Saturday, according to a department news release.

Police say the vehicle was stolen from the Sendik's at 10930 N. Port Washington Road around 4:25 p.m. Jan. 25. The man entered the employee area in the rear of the store and took an employee's coat containing car keys.

He then found the matching car in the parking lot and drove it off northbound on Port Washington Road.

Based on security camera footage, police describe the man as white, late 20s to early 30s, with a receding hairline and glasses. He was seen wearing a dark jacket with white logos on the left chest and right bicep, dark pants, and white tennis shoes.

Anyone who can identify the suspect or provide information is encouraged to contact Mequon police at (262) 242-3500.

In that room, crew found 10 to 15 mops that had burned and there was a strong chemical odor. An employee said the mops had just been dropped off after being cleaned when he saw smoke coming out. He said he moved them to see what was happening and they burst into flames. He extinguished the fire and no further damage was reported.

Jan. 27, 2014 12:17 p.m. | The Brown Deer, Mequon-Thiensville, Nicolet, and Whitefish Bay school districts have canceled school and all after-school activities for Tuesday due to wind chill warnings issued by the National Weather Service.

The current NWS warning forecasts wind chills between 25 to 35 below zero today and wind chills between 35 to 45 below on Tuesday. According to the warning, such wind chills can cause frostbite to exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.

Tuesday is the third school day canceled in January as a result of the frigid winter season. It is unknown yet whether the districts will need to add days to the end of the year to make up for the cold weather closures.

Shorewood schools are closed Monday and Tuesday for teacher in-service days but the district has canceled some after-school activities.

Because Bay's 6-2 senior guard/center Maya Jonas was still on the floor at the end of the Blue Dukes' improbable 71-70 overtime rally over the Warhawks that put the two teams in a flat-footed tie for the North Shore Conference lead.

"In the end, she was the only one they needed," said Stuve, referring to Jonas, a Northwestern University recruit. "She was tired at the end, but great players get it done. They push beyond what their brain is telling them and just do what it takes."

Jonas finished the night with 27 points, 21 of them in the second half and overtime, as Bay rallied from a 37-25 third quarter deficit to win its 10th game in a row and improve to 7-1 in North Shore play and 11-2 overall while Germantown fell to 7-1 and 11-4, respectively.

Jan. 23, 2014 11:14 a.m. | River Hills — Village officials will begrudgingly codify the limited restrictions of recent state legislation that will allow bowhunters within village limits for the first time.

State Assembly Bill 8, signed into law by Gov. Scott Walker in December, stops local governments from prohibitting bowhunting within municipal limits. The change means River Hills, which had previously banned bowhunting, can't stop hunters from hunting on public or private land, assuming they get permission from private property owners or own the land themselves.

The bill comes with one caveat: hunters can't set up within 100 yards of a building unless the owner of the building gives permission. Village Attorney Bill Dineen will draft an ordinance to codify the 100-yard restriction. The Village Board will consider the ordinance, the only real restriction available under the new law, at a coming meeting.

"Right now, if we do nothing, the village would not be able to prohibit anyone from hunting up to five feet from a house, unless we say they can't do it within 100 yards," Dineen said.

Trustee Michael White spotted the silver lining of the lifted restriction, that bowhunters in the village will help manage the deer population and could someday decrease the amount the village spends each year to thin the herd.

Jan. 22, 2014 3:29 p.m. | Election letters for the Feb. 18 primary are due at the NOW Newspapers office by 5 p.m. Jan. 31.

In the North Shore there are two primaries: Shorewood School Board and Brown Deer Village Board.

Letters are limited to 300 words, and must include the writer's name, community of residence and phone number. The phone number will not be published but will be used for verification purposes. Claims of fact must include documentation (websites or actual copies of documents). NOW reserves the right to edit letters and does not guarantee publication.

Email letters to North Shore NOW editor Susan Nord at snord@jrn.com or mail them to NOW Newspapers, 1741 Dolphin Drive, Suite A, Waukesha, WI 53186. Letters received after 5 p.m. Jan. 31 will not be published in the paper.

Whoever receives the fewest votes will be eliminated and four candidates will advance to the April 1 spring election. In that contest, the two candidates with the most votes will win the open seats.

NOW caught up with the candidates and picked their brains on four issues the School Board will be tackling in the near future: teacher compensation, the concept of switching to merit pay, and how to fairly pay employees; the perennial issue of the achievement gap and how to go about closing it; the topic of starting the school day later and the impacts such a change could have on the school year; and what an in-house district daycare program would look like if the district decides to replace or supplement the Milestones program in the 2015-16 school year.

Here's what they had to say:

Wendy Daniell-Rhodes

Jan. 22, 2014 10:17 a.m. | Peter Isely of Shorewood, who has traveled the world as an advocate for victims of clergy sexual abuse, will be honored by Harvard Divinity School in April as a distinguished alumnus.

Isely is a recipient of the 2014 Peter J. Gomes Memorial Honors, established last year to honor alumni whose “excellence in life, work and service pays homage to the mission and values of Harvard Divinity School,” according to its website. Nominations were sought in several categories including service and advocacy, ministry, law and education. Last year’s recipients included Muslim scholar and author Reza Aslan and The Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi, a Buddist monk who leads the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Isely, a psychotherapist, is Midwest director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, an advocacy group for sexual abuse victims. Isely was sexually abused as a student at St. Lawrence Seminary, a Capuchin-run prep school in Mt. Calvary, in the 1970s. He graduated from Harvard University with a master’s of divinity degree in 1988.

Peter J. Gomes, was a professor of Christian morals and a Baptist minister who served Harvard’s Memorial Church for decades. He died in 2011, at the age of 68.

Jan. 22, 2014 9:00 a.m. | A 57-year-old Mequon woman was arrested for providing alcohol to minors and 33 people were arrested for underage drinking at a "huge underage drinking party" Jan. 3.

According to the Mequon police report

A witness called TIP-411 to report a "huge underage drinking party in the 10300 block of North River Road at 8:30 p.m. Jan. 3. When police arrived, a boy answered the door and said he didn't have to let them in.

Police were issued a search warrant about 11 p.m. and entered the home then. The boy was then arrested.

The Mequon woman was arrested for providing alcohol to minors. Police arrested 33 people, ages 15 to 20, for underage drinking, and they arrested 21 for obstruction for hiding from police.

Investigators identified the third suspect on Monday and arrested him. He has not been identified publicly.

The two other suspects, Marcques D. Davis, 18, and Joey Lamar James-Roby, 17, both of Milwaukee, were charged Tuesday with robbery of a financial institution as a party to a crime, according to a Brown Deer police news release.

Last Thursday, two people robbed Credit Union Services Center, 6402 W. Brown Deer Road, at gunpoint just before 11:30 a.m. The robbers fled in a red Pontiac with a third person driving. When police tried to stop the car in Glendale, the occupants fled on foot and two were caught.

Cardinal Stritch University and Nicolet High School were placed on lockdown as a precaution following reports of the robbery suspects in the area.

Jan. 21, 2014 5:56 p.m. | Mequon — Two separate memory care providers pitched their proposals to the Planning Commission on Monday and only one of them made it through.

The Artis Residence, a roughly 30,000-square-foot, 72-bed memory care facility planned at 11900 North Port Washington Road, was approved unanimously after a relatively short discussion among commissioners, city staff and Artis Senior Living representatives. Artis' rezoning request, conditional use grant, and building plans will go on to the Common Council with a positive recommendation from the Planning Commission.

But deliberations over the 60-bed Azura Memory Care of Mequon facility, planned for the former Beth El synagogue property at 2803 West Mequon Road, were tabled after the combination of conflicting accounts from neighbors and the developer, impassioned testimony and unresolved details proved too much for commissioners to sort out in one evening.

Commissioners Martin Choren, Pat Marchese, John Mason, Chuck Western and Dave Fuchs voted to table the Azura proposal until the commission's next meeting. Commissioners John Stoker, Andrew Nerbun, and Chairwoman Pam Adams, who was sitting in for excused Mayor Dan Abendroth, voted against the tabling.

Points of conflict

Jan. 21, 2014 1:50 p.m. | Brown Deer police on Monday arrested the third suspect in a three-man armed robbery which took place Friday at the Credit Union Services Center, 6402 West Brown Deer Road.

Police arrested the two other suspects Friday after they were spotted in Fox Point and attempted to abandon and run away from their car. In a news release, police identified the two suspects as Marcques Davis, 18, and Joey James-Roby, 17, of Milwaukee.

Both Davis and James-Roby have been charged with robbery of a financial institution as parties to the crime, a Class C felony which can carry a fine of $100,000, a 40-year prison sentence, or both.

According to the original BDPD news release:

Two of the suspects entered the credit union around 11 a.m. Thursday morning. One brandished a black handgun and the two made off with an unknown amount of cash.

Jan. 20, 2014 8:59 p.m. | River Hills — Trustees are looking for ways to sway the state Department of Transportation on its upcoming Interstate-43 expansion rather than more evidence that the expansion is a problem.

Last week, the Village Board considered funding a sound study to back up their claim that the potential expansion, and resulting increase in noise, would be detrimental to River Hills property owners. But in light of the fact that the DOT and village public works director have already measured sound levels along the freeway corridor, the board opted to go back to the drawing board on how to sway state planners.

"We don't need further corroboration that the decibels are going to be too high," Trustee Michael White said. "That's a given."

Emir admitted that efforts to sway the DOT in the past have been a "mixed bag," but in his experience the best course of action is to come to the table with a number of suggestions. The more suggestions, the better the likelihood at least some of them become incorporated into the design, he said.

The move is expected next week. It will allow the cafe to expand deli seating by about 20, up from the current five, so more guests can linger over coffee and laptops if they don't wish to sit in the full-service dining room. It also will expand its lineup of prepared foods for takeout.

The cafe will put a bar in the former deli space, where it will serve tap wines, wines by the glass and bottled beer, said owner Bill Ledger.

The deli stays open beyond the kitchen's closing time of 3 p.m. every day but Sunday. It's open until 6 p.m. weekdays, 5 p.m. Saturdays.

Jan. 17, 2014 10:23 p.m. | The self-described "goofball" that is 6-2 center/guard Maya Jonas of the Whitefish Bay girls basketball team is playing a very serious role in the otherwise young Blue Dukes run towards a North Shore Conference title.

She grabs rebounds with strength, leaps out of the blue to deflect passes and block shots, can hit jumpers as well as post shots and can bring the ball up the floor as well as any guard.

In short, the knee injury that robbed her of much of last season is 18 months in the rearview mirror and is of little concern to her right now.

She's playing with freedom and energy and so are her teammates, as the Blue Dukes ran their win streak to nine games with a decisive 51-27 victory over a good Homestead Friday night.

The win kept the Blue Dukes (10-2 overall, 6-1 in North Shore play) just a game behind Germantown (7-0 in league play) as they prepare for a rematch at home next Friday with the Warhawks. Germantown beat Bay, 82-77, in the first league game of the season in December.

Tochi, in the lower level of the Garden Room shop at 2107 E. Capitol Drive, will be in Anaba’s reconfigured dining room. The focus will be ramen, the Japanese noodle bowl, but the restaurant will serve some other Asian-inspired dishes.

Jan. 16, 2014 2:35 p.m. | A robbery at a Brown Deer credit union on Thursday led to the lockdown of at least two schools while police searched for the suspects.

Two people entered Credit Union Services Center, 6402 W. Brown Deer Road, just before 11:30 a.m. and one pointed a gun at a teller, demanding money, according to a Brown Deer police news release.

The two robbers fled in a red Pontiac with a third person driving. The vehicle's description was shared with all North Shore agencies and Milwaukee police.

When Glendale police spotted the car and attempted to stop it in the 6500 block of Port Washington Road, two people bailed out of the car and fled, according to Glendale police.

A foot pursuit ensued and involved officers from Glendale, Fox Point, Whitefish Bay, Bayside, Brown Deer and the Milwaukee County sheriff's office. Two suspects were arrested. A third suspect remains at large.

The ordinance, drafted by Village Attorney Eric Larson, outlines a number of provisions that will go into effect March 1. Pedestrians will have to adhere to the same standards already in place for bicyclists under state statutes and in-line skaters under a previous village ordinance.

The new document will require pedestrians wear some form of reflective clothing, use reflectors or have a flashlight on hand in an attempt to ensure motorists are able to see people traversing along roadways.

While the board stated it believes most of the village's residents safeguard themselves at night with proper attire, concerns continue to be raised.

"I think this has been a problem for a long time," said Village President Mike West, who suggested the ordinance be written and adopted. "I have seen people walking black dogs, attired in all black or navy blue. I think we need to do this."

Jan. 15, 2014 11:59 a.m. | Fox Point — Bids on the potential construction of the Bridge Lane ravine footbridge will be sought this spring as part of a plan outlined Tuesday by Fox Point officials.

The Village Board voted, 6-1, in favor of having Director of Public Works Scott Brandmeier reach out to the construction community in March and seek concrete cost estimates for the replacement of the footbridge.

Trustee Bill Warner was the sole dissenter.

The motion included a provision Brandmeier submit a report on all bids during the board's regular meeting in April.

Tuesday's decision is the latest in a long and winding path toward seeking a long-term solution to the controversial issue, which is seen by some residents as a historic jewel and others as a costly expense that is used by only a small portion of the community.

Jan. 15, 2014 11:02 a.m. | Shorewood — A conversation is beginning that could reshape the school day, and in a few years time, the school year itself.

Teachers, parents, and a few students met for the first time Tuesday as part of a newly formed committee which is considering changes to school day start and end times, schedule changes, and possibly even year-round schooling.

The impetus for their work, district Curriculum Director Tabia Nicholas said, is the body of available sleep research which suggests students should start later rather than earlier, and a number of parents who have expressed concern over the high school's 7:35 a.m. start time. From there, Nicholas said, complementary topics like scheduling and reshaped school year naturally became parts of the conversation.

While school start and end times could be changed for the coming 2014-15 school year, alterations to the school year itself would take longer.

"Structures of this magnitude take some time," Nicholas said. "If we're looking at the calendar, we're looking two or three years out."

Jan. 15, 2014 10:54 a.m. | An 18-year-old Mequon man was arrested and charged with second degree sexual assualt of a child after he and a 15-year-old girl admitted to having numerous sexual encounters Jan. 5 to 7.

According to the Mequon police report:

The Mequon man was arrested at the Port Zedler Motel, 10036 N. Port Washington Road, on Jan. 7 after he and the girl admitted to having sexual encounters at the motel and one other location. The girl was taken into protective custody.

A 21-year-old Thiensville man, who was at the motel during the sexual encounters, was arrested by the Ozaukee County Sheriff Department on a felony warrant.

Jan. 15, 2014 10:12 a.m. | Glendale — The Milwaukee Center for Independence is planning to open an office in Glendale for several main campus operations by this spring.

The Plan Commission on Tuesday approved a use and occupancy request from MCFI to operate programming related to its employment and financial support services from the former Actuant building and adjacent parking lot, located at 6100-6120 N. Baker Road.

Community Development Director Todd Stuebe said the approval was contingent upon agreement by MCFI, which will be leasing the building, to pay property taxes at the site.

MCFI is a community resource for children, teens, adults and older adults with special needs. According to the plan of operation submitted to the city, the organization will use the approximately 83,000-square-foot building for three main activities — MCFI Employment Services, a resource providing comprehensive services to meet the needs of job seekers and employers; MCFI Work Services, a program focusing on helping participants develop critical work and daily living skills; and general and professional offices for MCFI iLIFE, a financial support service.

MCFI's main campus is currently located at the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Building, 2020 W. Wells St., in Milwaukee. Since moving to that location in 2004, the organization has expanded considerably, explained Jim Hill, vice president for government relations and housing.

Jan. 15, 2014 8:52 a.m. | A Brown Deer man was arrested for disorderly conduct/domestic violence related after he threatened a male relative with a paintball gun in an argument about paying rent Jan. 5.

According to the Brown Deer police report:

The problem began with the two men texting each other regarding paying rent and the Brown Deer man reportedly threatened his relative in those messages saying he would "kick his (expletive)" and damage his car.

When the two met up at the residence, the Brown Deer man, who was intoxicated, threatened the relative with a paintball gun. When police were called, the suspect fled but was stopped a few blocks away. The Brown Deer man, age not released, was arrested for disorderly conduct/domestic violence related, at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 5.

Jan. 14, 2014 1:38 p.m. | The North Shore Fire Department's top three 2014 initiatives are accreditation, shared training, and stepped up communications between top brass and firefighters, Fire Chief Robert Whitaker said.

According to NSFD's 2014 organizational goals, presented to the board of directors on Tuesday, the department is moving on to a second phase of an accreditation process through the Center for Public Safety Excellence. The accreditation is rare among Wisconsin fire departments, with the CPSE's roster listing two accredited departments within the state as of November. Seven other Wisconsin departments are in the process of becoming accredited, according to the CPSE website.

'Elite' status

"It's becoming more popular but it's something of an elite status," Whitaker said in a post-meeting interview.

NSFD began the accreditation process, funded by the fire department foundation, last year and expects to finish in 2014. Whitaker said the accreditation includes a data-driven review of the department and should help determine "best practices."

Mequon was noted for its quality of life, low crime and unemployment rates, and average summer temperature. Brown Deer was highlighted for a low crime rate and available amenities. Due to its state-leading overall quality of life, lack of crime, and climate Fox Point was honored, while Whitefish Bay made the cut for its high level of amenities and quality of life.

Jan. 13, 2014 10:38 p.m. | A Milwaukee man was charged with six felony counts Monday on allegations of selling oxycodone and ecstasy in Ozaukee County, according to the Ozaukee County sheriff's office.

Jan. 13, 2014 4:09 p.m. | Brown Deer — Police are investigating an attempted child enticement that took place Friday around 7:45 a.m. on the 4300 block of West Donges Lane, according to a department news release.

The suspect is described as a male about 30 years old, medium build, with a 5 o'clock shadow and goatee. According to the release, he pulled up in an older model blue four-door sedan, dirty, with circular tail lights, and offered a ride to a student who was waiting for a school bus.

The student turned down the ride, but the man kept up his offer and asked the student personal questions. After the student declined the ride and did not respond to the questions for a few minutes the man drove off.

Anyone with knowledge of the man is encouraged to contact Brown Deer police at (414) 371-2900 with reference to case 14-393.

Police remind children not to accept rides from anyone unknown to them and not to answer personal questions. Children should report any would-be child enticers to trusted adults immediately.

Jan. 10, 2014 10:37 p.m. | In the famous movie, "Rashomon", the same event is viewed and related from several different vantage points. The term has even become a cultural metaphor for how differently people see the same thing.

Take what happened at a key moment in the top-ranked in state Germantown boys' basketball team's fiercely contested 72-63 home decision over previously unbeaten and eighth-ranked archrival Homestead Friday.

With the score 57-55 in favor of the Warhawks with 4:37 left to play, Germantown guard LaMonte' Bearden slid into the lane on a bold drive to the hoop. There was contact, a whistle and the ball went in the basket.

Block or charge?

The officials called it a block, counted the basket and Bearden hit the free throw to make it 59-54. That started an 11-2 Germantown run that finally allowed the hard-pressed Warhawks, who actually trailed 39-35 at the break, to finally pull away from the stubborn Highlanders.

But that's what a group of orchestra students and parents from Homestead High School are planning for Saturday: a benefit concert and raffle to help the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra meet its emergency $5 million funding goal.

The "SOS for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra" will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 11 at the Logeman Community Center, 6100 W. Mequon Rd., according to a notice from the Mequon-Thiensville School District.

The concert will feature a string quartet from the high school as well as a ping-pong tournament, raffle and what looks to be copious amounts of root beer. For more information, contact: mtopstrings@gmail.com.

Jan. 07, 2014 1:48 p.m. | Mequon — A teacher merit pay system is in the works for implementation in the fall, according to a preliminary 2014-15 School Board budget presentation Monday.

Following a two-year districtwide salary freeze, district administrators intend to include a 2 percent — roughly correlated to inflation — wage increase into the 2014-15 budget. Additionally, by increasing premiums, co-pays and other employee costs of the district health insurance plan, officials plan to free up about $400,000 in the budget to distribute to employees on a merit-based system.

According to Superintendent Demond Means, that system would be geared less toward "inputs" — that is, credentials, degrees and other qualifications — and more toward "outputs," which he described as performance-based measures which contribute to the district's mission and align with its strategic plan.

"We think there's a chance to do something different and innovative," Means said.

In the broader budget picture, a roughly $700,000 projected deficit for the 2014-15 school year has administrators looking to its list of 40 potential budget cuts, as well as some staffing reductions, to both balance the budget and include some initiatives from the district strategic plan.

Jan. 07, 2014 12:34 p.m. | A female was arrested at Kohl's on Dec. 24 after she loaded her cart with items and then demanded a refund, saying "Nobody told me I had to pay for it."

According to the Brown Deer police report:

A female, age and residence not released, entered Kohl's, 9060 N. Green Bay Road, at 11:30 a.m. Dec. 24 carrying her purse. She loaded a cart with shoes and children's clothing valued at $460 and then went to the service counter saying she wanted a refund.

When asked for a receipt, she became angry saying "Nobody told me I had to pay for it." She attempted to leave the store but was stopped and arrested.

Jan. 06, 2014 2:12 p.m. | School districts across the North Shore are extending extreme weather closings to Tuesday, Jan. 7, and the districts that close their district offices Tuesday will push back the spring election filing deadline to 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Districts were closed today after temperatures plummeted into the negatives with wind chills into the negative 40s. Closings were extended until Tuesday for the following North Shore school districts (districts that have reported on their deadlines are noted):

Jan. 05, 2014 12:16 a.m. | One of Homestead boys basketball coach Kevin McKenna's assistants told him at one point during the Highlanders 83-43 nonconference rout of Brookfield East this afternoon that the team may be guilty of a little "oversharing" when it comes to making the extra pass on offense.

But with five players in double figures, a record that is now 10-0 and a ninth-place ranking in state polls, McKenna is not about to complain.

"I actually liked it, in fact, I'll take it," said McKenna, whose surprising team continues to make waves in the state. "We were a little sloppy on the boards, but that gives us something to work on as we head into this week."

And what a week it is for the Highlanders. They will host Milwaukee Lutheran in a North Shore Conference tilt on Tuesday (if the weather holds) and then will have arguably their most important game in years, when they visit the empire that is top-ranked in state, two-time WIAA state champion and border rival Germantown (12-0) on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

The Warhawks are as formidable as they've ever been and proved it again tonight with an 87-44 road demolition of Madison LaFollette that ran their state record boys winning streak to 68 games.

Jan. 03, 2014 10:48 a.m. | The Whitefish Bay School Board selected Laura Myrah as the new district administrator.

Myrah has been serving as the interim superintendent since last spring after Mary Gavigan resigned to take a new position as the executive director of the Cooperative Educational Service Agency.

The board will take action on Myrah's two-year contract at its Jan. 8 meeting.

Prior to becoming the interim superintendent for Whitefish Bay, Myrah served as the district's director of curriculum and instruction for a number of years.

Myrah was selected because of her background in education research and effective practice, her passion for students and learning, as well as her demonstrated leadership in the district that will help move the district forward with its areas of focus and statewide initiatives, said School Board President Pam Woodard in a news release.